Awoke to blue skies but max temp of 10 with potential rain later. From our cabin we have a lovely view of the hills covered in vines, and in the other direction, a great view of Fortress Marienberg high on a hill. However not to be deterred by the weather forecast, after breakfast we are on the coach for a brief city tour of Wurzberg and then a guided tour of the Residenz which was the Prince Bishop's palace. Enroute we pass the cathedral of St Kilian, but no opportunity to stop. It is the fourth largest German Romanesque cathedral. As we only have this morning in Wurzburg our main interest is seeing the Residenz.
Just to bring you up speed on how these prince bishops existed, in the 13th century, local bishops were given the status of 'prince bishop' by the ruling emperor, Friedrich II. This made the bishop not only the religious ruler but the secular ruler as well, comparable to a mayor or a governor. They became very wealthy and powerful until Napoleon. abolished this on 1803 with the creation of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Napoleon gave Franconia to the Bavarians to thank them for helping with his wars. The Franconians still haven't forgiven him!!! Ask anyone from Wurzberg who they are, and they will tell you they are Franconian. Second option is that they are German, but don't ever expect them to say they are Bavarian. Clearly they have very long memories.
So, now to the Residenz. It was built for the prince bishops of the Schonborn family (their names pop up everywhere in Bavaria). It is a beautiful baroque palace and is one of the largest in Germany. It was built by Balthazar Neumann, an architect who no one had ever heard of when he was initially chosen to build the palace, but as a result became very famous. Most of the palace was bombed at the end of the war by the Yanks with very little of interiors remaining, but an enormous fresco ceiling by Tiepolo (1753) in the great hall survived. It is really impressive, but strictly no photography allowed so you just have to believe me that it was uber impressive. One of the rooms which has been restored is mirrors and gold on every surface. Absolutely over the top, but worth seeing just to confirm the over indulgence the prince bishop showered on himself. We also have a chance to wander through the gardens which are lovely, especially the rose garden.
Time to get back on the coach and back to the ship for an early lunch and then back on another coach as we head off on our optional tour to Rothenberg.
We drive partly along what is dubbed the Romantic Road where we pass through pretty little villages with winding roads and lovely home facades. The weather is all over the place as we have bright sunshine and now grey clouds so that when we arrive at Rothenberg it isn't long before there is light rain which is nothing more than nuisance value, however it is also quite cold. Rothenberg however is a very pretty walled village. It certainly is touristy as every building is a shop of some sort but it is still charming. They certainly love their Christmas decorations and during our free time we are able to go into the Kathe Wohlfahrt store which is Christmasy to the extreme. It is so jam packed with different decorations that I actually felt claustrophobic and got the closest I have ever been to a panic attack as I couldn't get out of there easily and as it was quite crowded. I was getting really uptight about trying to find the exit. Once finally outside I was able to breathe again and then headed to a nearby gift store that our lovely guide Florian had told us about. I found items I was interested in at a third the price of the Kathe store! But I also met the 90 year old owner of the store Annaliese Friese and for the next 30 minutes that little old woman did not take a breath as she regaled me with all her travel tales through Australia. B was with me initially but at about the 10 minute mark made her escape. Three times I tried to stop her and say that I loved her shop and wanted to have a look through it, but she was undeterred. Anyway, eventually she gave me a signed map of Rothenberg and while I'm sure she was still talking I said my farewell to her (again) as I then attempted to complete my purchases. Turns out her two grown sons work in the store with her and I can only imagine what a tight reign she keeps on them. Anyway, purchases finally made (the son who served me had to go to Annaliese to get the change...) and I met up with B again where we went for a wander in the rain, to a cafe where we had a drink and shared another jam donut ( it is called something like a kampfert). B bought a quilted vest in a store we passed and then it was time to meet our guide to head back to the coach and then back to the ship.
There were beautiful views of the countryside from every angle.
On our return coach trip Florian told us that as we were in wine country, it was only appropriate that he tell us that Germans love their alcohol and don't only enjoy it in their homes but in pubs and parks and in coaches.... So we were able to have a white wine, beer or cherry schnapps whilst on our return trip. I bought a 250ml bottle of the local white wine but will be saving it for a quiet drink in our cabin at a later time.
Past lots of solar panel 'farms' along the way, plus every now and then the huge turbine windmills.
We drive back part of the way on the autobahn where there are no speed limits, although coaches are restricted to 100km. Safely back near our ship where we board and then almost immediately our ship is underway, it's dinner time and then back to our cabins where we finally get to put our feet up. Has been a lovely day even with a little bit of rain, but now I'm ready for bed.
Just to bring you up speed on how these prince bishops existed, in the 13th century, local bishops were given the status of 'prince bishop' by the ruling emperor, Friedrich II. This made the bishop not only the religious ruler but the secular ruler as well, comparable to a mayor or a governor. They became very wealthy and powerful until Napoleon. abolished this on 1803 with the creation of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Napoleon gave Franconia to the Bavarians to thank them for helping with his wars. The Franconians still haven't forgiven him!!! Ask anyone from Wurzberg who they are, and they will tell you they are Franconian. Second option is that they are German, but don't ever expect them to say they are Bavarian. Clearly they have very long memories.
So, now to the Residenz. It was built for the prince bishops of the Schonborn family (their names pop up everywhere in Bavaria). It is a beautiful baroque palace and is one of the largest in Germany. It was built by Balthazar Neumann, an architect who no one had ever heard of when he was initially chosen to build the palace, but as a result became very famous. Most of the palace was bombed at the end of the war by the Yanks with very little of interiors remaining, but an enormous fresco ceiling by Tiepolo (1753) in the great hall survived. It is really impressive, but strictly no photography allowed so you just have to believe me that it was uber impressive. One of the rooms which has been restored is mirrors and gold on every surface. Absolutely over the top, but worth seeing just to confirm the over indulgence the prince bishop showered on himself. We also have a chance to wander through the gardens which are lovely, especially the rose garden.
Time to get back on the coach and back to the ship for an early lunch and then back on another coach as we head off on our optional tour to Rothenberg.
We drive partly along what is dubbed the Romantic Road where we pass through pretty little villages with winding roads and lovely home facades. The weather is all over the place as we have bright sunshine and now grey clouds so that when we arrive at Rothenberg it isn't long before there is light rain which is nothing more than nuisance value, however it is also quite cold. Rothenberg however is a very pretty walled village. It certainly is touristy as every building is a shop of some sort but it is still charming. They certainly love their Christmas decorations and during our free time we are able to go into the Kathe Wohlfahrt store which is Christmasy to the extreme. It is so jam packed with different decorations that I actually felt claustrophobic and got the closest I have ever been to a panic attack as I couldn't get out of there easily and as it was quite crowded. I was getting really uptight about trying to find the exit. Once finally outside I was able to breathe again and then headed to a nearby gift store that our lovely guide Florian had told us about. I found items I was interested in at a third the price of the Kathe store! But I also met the 90 year old owner of the store Annaliese Friese and for the next 30 minutes that little old woman did not take a breath as she regaled me with all her travel tales through Australia. B was with me initially but at about the 10 minute mark made her escape. Three times I tried to stop her and say that I loved her shop and wanted to have a look through it, but she was undeterred. Anyway, eventually she gave me a signed map of Rothenberg and while I'm sure she was still talking I said my farewell to her (again) as I then attempted to complete my purchases. Turns out her two grown sons work in the store with her and I can only imagine what a tight reign she keeps on them. Anyway, purchases finally made (the son who served me had to go to Annaliese to get the change...) and I met up with B again where we went for a wander in the rain, to a cafe where we had a drink and shared another jam donut ( it is called something like a kampfert). B bought a quilted vest in a store we passed and then it was time to meet our guide to head back to the coach and then back to the ship.
There were beautiful views of the countryside from every angle.
On our return coach trip Florian told us that as we were in wine country, it was only appropriate that he tell us that Germans love their alcohol and don't only enjoy it in their homes but in pubs and parks and in coaches.... So we were able to have a white wine, beer or cherry schnapps whilst on our return trip. I bought a 250ml bottle of the local white wine but will be saving it for a quiet drink in our cabin at a later time.
Past lots of solar panel 'farms' along the way, plus every now and then the huge turbine windmills.
We drive back part of the way on the autobahn where there are no speed limits, although coaches are restricted to 100km. Safely back near our ship where we board and then almost immediately our ship is underway, it's dinner time and then back to our cabins where we finally get to put our feet up. Has been a lovely day even with a little bit of rain, but now I'm ready for bed.
What an awesome adventure!
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